The West Virginia Community and Technical College System (WVCTCS) and its nine colleges have been awarded a nearly $4 million apprenticeship grant from the U.S. Department of Labor that will support Apprenticeships in Motion (AIM), which will train and place apprentices in middle- to high-skilled IT occupations.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta was on hand to make the announcement today at BridgeValley Community and Technical College in South Charleston. Acosta also participated in a roundtable discussion about the importance of apprenticeships in workforce development with U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito; Dr. Sarah Tucker, WVCTCS Chancellor; Ed Gaunch, Cabinet Secretary of the WV Department of Commerce; Chris Gilmer, President of WVU Parkersburg; Johnny Moore, President of Pierpont Community and Technical College; and several others representing the state’s technology and workforce sectors.
“I appreciate the opportunity to speak with leaders from the West Virginia Community and Technical College System, TechConnectWV, and West Virginia Government officials,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta. “The Apprenticeships in Motion program will provide opportunities for West Virginians to learn in-demand skills in the information technology industry. Apprenticeship programs are critical to filling the 7.4 million open jobs in the United States and providing the American workforce with pathways to family-sustaining careers.”
“West Virginia’s community and technical colleges are proof-positive that apprenticeships work,” Chancellor Tucker said. “This remarkable investment by the U.S. Department of Labor will allow us to create even more opportunities for West Virginians to pursue and obtain careers in rapidly-growing technology fields. This is a path to new jobs, new business growth, new economic advancement – and new ways for all of us to work together to create a brighter future for the Mountain State.”
West Virginia is a national leader in aligning its community and technical college programs with state economic development efforts, as it strives to help 60 percent of state residents earn a certificate or degree by 2030. WVCTCS institutions serve 28,000 students, nearly 4,200 of whom enroll in IT courses. AIM will build on the system’s success in working with businesses to develop a highly skilled IT workforce for West Virginia.
In addition to WVCTCS and its colleges, AIM partners include TechConnect WV, a consortium of nearly 20 industry partners, the American Association of Community Colleges, the WV Department of Commerce, the WV Development Office, Workforce West Virginia, the WV Office of Apprenticeship, Small Business Development Centers, the WV Chamber of Commerce, and Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio.
AIM’s goal is to grow a workforce to fill the state’s IT industry skills gap and expand the number of businesses participating in West Virginia’s Learn and Earn program, which the Legislature created to bolster the state’s workforce by matching wages with employers that hire students pursuing certificates or associate degrees to be their apprentices – a model that AIM will work to scale beyond West Virginia.
“This is positioning West Virginia to become an even bigger model for states across the country,” Chancellor Tucker said. “Learn and Earn is a best practice that AIM will ultimately scale nationally. That is not just an exciting prospect; now, thanks to this grant, it’s an exciting reality.”
